The new Coda S5.5 amplifier: It's a "Petite Beast"!

Has anyone tried using two of these amps in bridged mono mode? If so, how does it compare to one in stereo?.  Thanks. 

My speakers are Magico S5’s. I’m not sure if I would really need the extra power but was curious about the mono block configuration. I currently have a Luxman m900u driving the speakers which I think works very well but, am curious if more power would sound even better. The Luxman has 150 watts into 8 Ohms with the first 12 being class A and 300 watts into 4 Ohms. Thanks for your response. 
 

I just ordered an s5.5 from Mike from Archon Audio. I should get it approximately March 18th right after I return from vacation. I’m really excited to get into my system. I’ll keep you posted on my impressions as it burns in over time. 
 

Jeff

I should be receiving my Coda S5.5 tomorrow. I’ll keep you all posted as to my impressions after a few days as it continues to break in. It will be driving a pair of Magico S5 speakers which need a lot of current. I’ll be comparing it to my Luxman M900U amplifier which is 150 watts at 8 ohms and 300 watts at 4 ohms with the first 12 watts in class A but, must less current. 
 

Jeff

I received my S5.5 on Wednesday and have about 15 hours on it. I’ll be posting my initial impressions tomorrow. Even at this point it is more than impressive. Can’t stop listening. 
 

Jeff

So here are my first impressions of my new S5.5 amp. It now has about 23 hours on it and still burning in. As a reference I have Magico S5 speakers, a Luxman M900U amplifier, Luxman C 900U preamp, Esoteric K-01x CD player, VPI Prime Signature turntable with an Ortofon A95 cartridge, Modwright PH 150 phono stage. My cabling is Kubala Sosna speaker cables and interconnects, power cables are all  Kimber Kable Palladium 10 except the amp has an Audioquest high current Hurricane. I have two dedicated lines, one 20 amp and the other 30amp for my power amp both with Furutech NFC outlets. 
 

Terry at the start of this thread nailed it perfectly as to the amps attributes. Crystal clear, clean highs with no grain or fatigue.  It lets me hear deeper into the music catching unknown nuances that I didn’t realize that were there. 
 

The mids match the high frequency in the openness and silky smoothness and more detail than I’ve ever experienced. 
 

The bass is tight, tuneful and full ( as much as a ported speaker design can give you). The amp never seemed to stress at higher levels  as I have been playing my system louder than normal without feeling the need to turn it down.  The amp never seemed to stress even when I turned it up way beyond with what I’m comfortable with. 
 

I am sure you have guessed I really like this amp. I’m 67 and retired so this will likely be my last power amp. I just can’t believe that this retails for just $6,400.  It is the least expensive component that I have and maybe the best performing. Coda really nailed it with this one. 
 

Jeff

Thanks firefly.  I don’t think you can go wrong with the S5.5. In my review I meant to say about the Magico’s that they are sealed enclosures not ported. My error in writing. 
 

Jeff

Hi guys.  Sorry for the long silence on my part. Quick explanation is that we had a heavy snow storm here on Saturday and we lost power which caused a big power surge that took our both of my components on one circuit. Unfortunately one of them was my 3 DAY OLD Coda amp!  Not to worry but, it took a few days to figure it out and it only blew out an internal fuse in the right  channel. I didn’t realize at first that there are two fuses per channel inside. The only fuse I knew of is the one you can see on the back which is the only fuse mentioned in the owner’s manual. 
 

Moving the good fuses from one side to the other indicated that all is good. The problem is that I’ve can’t find the correct fuses locally so, I had to order them online and won’t receive them until Friday. 
 

yyzsantabarbara: before the incident I did play the amp continuously at about 84db and the amp didn’t seem any warmer to the touch. I was going to try it at 90db when my wife wasn’t home. It will obviously have to wait a few days. 
 

irave: surprisingly with its published power numbers I don’t feel that it is lacking in power at all driving my somewhat inefficient speakers. It plays way louder than I need with no strain or excess heat. The bass is just as deep as my Luxman m900u but different. The bass is tighter and more tuneful. I was thinking when I first ordered the amp that it might be a bit under powered but I was completely wrong. It has plenty of power for me and my speakers. 
 

I hope this helps. 
 

Jeff

I’m using Kubala Sosna Elation interconnects (xlr) and speaker cables. They are very open, detailed, weighty and slightly warm. They seem to be a great match for the S5.5 and the rest of my system. 
 

I now have over 120 hours on the amp and it is sounding wonderful. It has all the power I need to drive my somewhat inefficient speakers. 
 

I definitely have more weight and dynamics than my other amp. It is easily the best I’ve heard in my system. 
 

Jeff